Heretofore, there has been known a coin change dispenser for use in ejecting a change in coin. This coin change dispenser is designed to transfer toward a coin passage plural types of coins put in an input hopper, to sort the coins into their coin types through a plurality of sorting holes located downstream of the coin passage, and to store the sorted coins in a storage section on a coin type by type basis. Each of the plurality of sorting holes is formed to have a diametral dimension conforming to that of a corresponding one of the types of coins. These sorting holes are serially disposed in ascending order of diametral dimension. The coins transferred to the respective positions of the sorting holes are dropped down through corresponding ones of the sorting holes, and stored in a plurality of storage hoppers provided respectively to the plural coin types. The coin change dispenser is also operable, in response to a request for change, to eject one or more of the coins stored in the storage hoppers in a given amount on a coin type by type basis.
Generally, in the above conventional coin change dispenser, the storage section has a plurality of vertically-extending stacking hoppers provided respectively to the plural coin type so as to sequentially stack coins dropped from corresponding ones of the sorting holes. When the stacking hoppers are used, a coin dropped from one of the sorting hole is received by a corresponding one of the stacking hoppers in such a manner that either one of the top and back surfaces thereof lands thereon, and either one of the top and back surfaces of each of subsequently dropped coins lands on the previously landed coin, so that the coins will be automatically stacked in a superimposed manner.
However, the use of above vertically-long stacking hoppers causes a problem about increase in vertical length or thickness of the coin change dispenser, which hinders downsizing thereof. While it can be contemplated to lay down each of the stacking hoppers and allow coins dropped on the upstream end of the stacking hopper to be sequentially transferred toward the downstream in a standing posture and stacked on each other so as to solve the above problem, this mechanism will raise another problem about difficulties in realizing the structure for transferring the coins in a standing posture due to its complexity.
In view of the above problems, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coin change dispenser capable of stacking and storing sorted coins in a standing posture even in a simplified structure to thereby facilitate downsizing thereof.